Sunday, January 02, 2005

Where to begin. Hella Hold'em is my poker blog. I have a couple other blogs - my geek blog and my personal blog, but neither is quite suitable for poker discussion, considering the typical audiences of each. So, I started this blog.

Why the name "Hella Hold'em"? I like the word "hella" - like, "that's hella cool!" or "that was a hella bad beat." I play Texas Hold'em (most of the time... sometimes I play Omaha), thus the "Hold'em" part of the name. Besides, "Hella Poker" just doesn't sound as good.

Who am I? My name is Shelly. I started playing poker about a year ago (I wonder if somewhere online I can find out when I signed up for Party Poker or PokerStars? Those were my first two online cardrooms). I knew nothing about the game - I'd sit and watch my boyfriend play online. He made me learn the list of poker hands so I'd at least know what was going on as I watched over his shoulder. I had to make up a chant in my head to remember them in the correct order, and every time he'd throw out an impromptu quiz (such as, while walking through the grocery store) I'd chant the list in my head to come up with the answer. Eventually I took the plunge and signed up on PokerStars... and that was how it all began.

I started to TiVo the World Poker Tour and World Series of Poker shows, and I'd watch them with Randy (the aforementioned boyfriend). How romantic! They say, the couple that plays together, stays together, right! :) I still am completely enthralled watching a good poker game (though watching the stars of the poker world play on TV really isn't very good training for a solid poker game, since they seem to only show the exciting hands - which are typically not the ones that are played by the book!) I've added the Celebrity Poker Showdown for entertainment value - I never really liked Phil Gordon when I saw him in poker tourneys, but for some odd reason I really enjoy his banter on CPS. (Not enough to buy his book, though). Edit: not only did I end up buying the book, but I also wrote up my review of it. Shame on me! :)

These days, I consider myself a student of the game. I study the poker books, compare various theories and styles of play, trying some on for size and building a style of my own out of them all. I have a LOT to learn - which is part of the reason why I'm starting this blog: so I will have a written record of my progress, my wins, my beats, and my lessons learned. Practice makes perfect, and I certainly love to practice!

I enjoy reading the poker blogs of other players. Some of my favorites: Maudie's Poker Blog (probably my main inspiration for starting this one), The Poker Penguin, Iggy's Guiness and Poker, Felicia Lee's blog, and Pauly's Tao of Poker, amongst others. I salute all of the bloggers that have come before me, as I've found a seemingly endless source of tips, smiles, and poker inspiration through your stories and posts. If learning can be done vicariously, the poker blogging community is definitely the way to do it.

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